Usagi and Mamoru: A love like no other
by Toni Webb
Summary: 100 theme challenge. First season Usagi x Mamoru romance, highlighting the funny, sad, sweet and sexy moments shared together. 100 short stories for those short on time.
1. 17 Ice Cream

17 Ice cream

First flicking her hand to get rid of the stream of ice cream melting down her finger, Usagi then raised the ice cream toward her lips, which was gloriously awaiting the life altering sweeteness she just knewww would greet them. Before she was allowed a taste, there was a tinkle of bells, a thud, a splat and lastly a shriek, that was her own. Usagi tore her eyes away from the un-licked ball of ice cream sitting on the floor at her feet to the dark haired man who had ravaged his way through the door and into the arcade.

"HEY MISTER!" she yelled out, her fists clamped by her sides, making the man turn around. She recognised him immediately as that baka, Mamoru who had bumped into her that time and teased her about her grades. She rocketed from angry to … well... really angry !

"YOU KNOCKED MY ICECREAM OUT OF MY HANDS. YOU OWE ME A NEW ONE!" she fumed.

He raised an eyebrow, his face arrogant and condescending.

"You shouldn't have been standing in front of the door way, idiot. You can buy yourself a new ice cream"

Usagi threw her head back as tears streamed from her eyes, and sobs from her mouth. Throwing his hands over his ears, Mamoru motioned for her to quit her crying.

"Arghhh, my ears! It's bad enough you look like a baby with those dumb buns on your head without you sulking like one!"

Usagi instantly stopped crying, her face now a fuming pout. Mamoru breathed out an exaggerated sigh of relief at the silence and turned his back to face the counter. Taking her opportunity, Usagi dropped to the floor, picked up what she could of the surprisingly still intact ice cream and launched it toward that arrogant jerk, hitting him square between the shoulders. Without waiting to see his reaction, she turned and ran out of the arcade as fast as her legs could take her.

"ODAAANGO"

She heard his shout from a street and a half away.


	2. 84 Glasses

84 Glasses

Thumping the newspaper back onto the table, Mamoru sat back in his chair, pulled his reading glasses off his face and rubbed his eyes. Letting out a heavy sigh, he thought about all of the chaos going on in Tokyo and the world. Who ever said no news was good news was right.

"Why do you even read those stupid things when all it does is get you sad and mopey?" a voice interrupted his thoughts. Usagi stood in front of his table, inspecting his glasses before putting them on. She picked up the paper and pretended to read it, pulling her most serious of faces

"I think it's socially responsible to stay informed about your surroundings and being aware of what is going on" Mamoru ignored her mocking and replied. Usagi lowered the newspaper slightly and looked at him from above his glasses.

"Buuut why?" turning around to the counter she pushed the glasses down her nose "Hey Motoki, who am I? The world is a terrible place, grumble grumble"

Motoki laughed "that one is too easy!"

Mamoru rolled his eyes "I dunno, so we can be wary of all the bad people out to get us –" before Usagi interrupted

"…aaand we can spend our lives worrying about bad people we will probably never meet and feeling sad about how other unlucky people must feel sad…?"

"Hmm, something like that…" Mamoru said, his forehead creased as he took in the logic of her words.

Usagi continued her rant, spinning back to him "I mean, it's not like you feeling bad about it will help them anyway. If anything, you just become one more unhappy person the rest of us rays of sunshine have to help feel happy again. I would rather smile now, and help who I can where I can and save the worrying for later"

She pulled the glasses back off her face and placed them on the table again before heading back over to her friends.

Mamoru stared after her, shocked by her insight - a little naive and optimistic yes- but nonetheless resolved to limit his news intake to reading the paper twice a week.


	3. 3 Hair

3 Hair

"Oh boy I love pool parties..." Usagi sighed blissfully, sipping at her non-alcoholic margarita as she basked in the warmth of the sun.

"You're not wrong there Usa" Mina replied before stepping up to the diving board and lunging herself in to the water. Usagi laughed along gleefully, enjoying the sight of all of her friends together in one place.

"Hey Usa, want another drink?" she heard Motoki ask from the house. Turning around, she let out another drawn out sigh as Motoki appeared shirtless at the door.

"Yes please you're gorgeo-!" she practically drooled, before she was forced to bite back a cry of dismay. Mamoru stood behind Motoki, looking at Usagi with a smirk she just wanted to slap right off his arrogant face. Of course _he_ would show up to ruin her perfect, perfect day.

"Motoki, you can't give children cocktails, even if they are non-alcoholic," Mamoru told Motoki, though still pointedly watching Usagi "she'll just go hyper and we'll neverrrrrr get her to shut up"

Blushing furiously, Usagi jumped to her feet, her pointer finger on thrown in his stupid direction, ready to give him a good tongue lashing

"WHY I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW -" Usagi fumed before she was cut off by an angry Motoki

"Can't you guys just get along for ONE DAY?! You're ruining a perfectly good party!" he huffed before storming off to join Mina in the pool. Put to shame, Mamoru called out after his friend who was now in the pool "sure bud, ahhh, I'll join you" and walked to the poolside where Usagi had uneasily resumed her basking. Making perhaps a bit to much of a spectacle, mamoru unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off his shoulders, revealing, much to Usagi's surprise, a nicely tanned, toned physique. Staring dumbly at his newly naked upper bod, Usagi had to admit he was quite – not terrible looking.

"If you don't want to get wet, you better move out of my way meatball head" Mamoru said, his voice knocking her out of her stupor and back into her foul mood. That was when she noticed - a tangle of long hairs surrounding a single nipple amidst a desert of grudgingly beautiful, hairless skin. Unable to control herself, Usagi burst into hysterics. A startled Mamoru took a step back.

"Errr, aside from the glaringly obvious, what exactly is wrong with you?" he asked mockingly

Still laughing hysterically, she roughly indicated to his nipple region with a wave of her hand

"HAHA a few moments ago, _I_ was the baby. You're 18 and can't even sort your chest hairs out! HAHAHA men are supposed to have more hair on their chest than that aren't they?!"

Hearing Usagi's taunts, everyone around her began to laugh openly and point at the purely horrified Mamoru who regarded his masculinity very seriously. This manly dysfunction of his was a very sensitive topic for him.

"This isn't over dumpling head" he hissed through gritted teeth before storming out of the house.

* * *

"Just the two items" a fuming Mamoru huffed as he pushed the bottle of 'Miracle Hair in a Hurry' along with a rose scented bottle of facial cream over to the chemist clerk.

"I'll show you hairy..." he babbled, cursing Usagi and her horrible sense of humor.

"Oh she thinks she knows what hairy is, but she hasn't seen anything yet... why I'll ... I'll..."

"Err sir?" the clerk interrupted nervously "your items" he said, holding out a bag, his hand trembling noticeably. "Please don't kill me".

Without a moment's hesitation, Mamoru snatched up the bag and clutched it tightly to his chest before running home.

* * *

Usagi eyed the small oddly shaped parcel sitting in front of her, immaculately wrapped, with tense suspicion. She couldn't possibly imagine why Mamoru would buy her a gift after everything she had said yesterday. Yet there it was on her doorstep, with its own little card.

 _'Usa,_

 _Sorry for my behaviour yesterday. Accept my gift and let us end this petty fighting._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Mamoru'_

Unable to bear the suspense much longer, Usagi tore open the wrapping paper, and found to her surprise, a bottle of rose scented facial moisturiser.

"Oh well isn't that lovely. He must have realised he was no match for the clever Usagi and gave up" she chuckled to herself before opening the bottle and applying it liberally over her entire face. 'Hmm, doesn't smell much like roses'she thought as she looked over the bottle again. It must have been labelled wrong.

Shrugging her shoulders, she opened the door and left for the Arcade, where she knew she could gloat about her victory to everyone - even Mamoru himself!

It was maybe 10 minutes before she reached the arcade, but to an elated Usagi, it felt as though mere moments had passed before she heard the bell above the arcade door tinkle, announcing her arrival to all inside.

"Well thank you for the victory present Mamo-san. The moisturiser feels great! It even tingles pleasantly!" She called out over the noise to a surprisingly smug Mamoru who stood by the bar. Upon seeing her, he burst out into a huge grin. Stopping in her tracks, Usagi sensed something was wrong. Not only was Mamoru's reaction completely unaccounted for, but the reactions of the remaining customers also. Each and every person had their eyes glued to her face, mouths hanging wide open.

"What?" she chirped self-consciously "It's not that unbelievable that I beat Mamoru-baka-face here… is it?"

Finally Mako cleared her throat and stood up, obviously still in shock.

"Ummm, Usagi?" she stammered, motioning in the general vicinity of her face... "haaair"

"Yes... I have hair on my head. Points to you for noticing the obvious"

"No… hair on your… face!"

Usagi froze _'_ _he didn't...oh god he didn't_ '. Petrified, she lifted a shaking hand to her face. It was strangely... furry? No, not furry- HAIRY -definitely hairy...

' _oh dear god he did!'_ Usagi let out a strangled cry "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE BAKA?!"

"Seems to me I'm not the only one with a hair... dysfunction!" He couldn't even look up at her he was laughing so hard.

"Girl's aren't supposed to have hair on their face are they?" he snorted innocently before toppling over the counter in a fit of laughter. Soon enough the entire arcade was pointing and laughing merrily along.

"- man-girl" One man called out.

"Mommy is that the Wookie monster from star wars?" a child wailed loudly.

"-furry freak!" another one yelled "how humiliating! I'd rather die..."

Usagi could hear none of this, only the thick blood pounding through her ears as she advanced slowly yet dangerously towards a hysterical Mamoru.

"I'M...GOING...TO...KILL...YOU" she panted drawing ever closer.

"Why?" He asked innocently, his eyes all squinted and watery with laughter, "you always loved bragging about your hair. Now you just have more to brag about"


	4. 5 Short Skirt

5 Short Skirt

Usagi squinted fixedly at what she suspected wasn't the triple chocolate milkshake that she'd ordered. It was definitely a lighter color than it should have been. Taking another sip, she swished the cold, thick liquid around her mouth until she could be sure.

"AHA caramel! There's a definite hint of caramel in there polluting my pure chocolate!" she piped before heading back to the counter where Motoki and Mamoru were busily yammering on about something stupid no doubt. It was no wonder Motoki had screwed up her order. They were so wrapped up in their conversation that they hadn't even noticed her approach.

"… man, short is definitely where it's at" Motoki was saying, cheekily eyeing a gaggle of short skirted teens in the corner.

"No way" Mamoru replied with a small frown, "short is so overdone... Call me old fashioned but I prefer something a little more conservative-" Mamoru replied, still looking over at the girls.

"HE-HEM!" Usagi interrupted rudely, feeling an inexplicable rage bubbling to the surface "but THIS IS NOT the triple choc milkshake I ORDERED!" she yelled. She took another big sip and stomped out of the arcade, taking the drink with her.

"There are exceptions to the rule of course..." Mamoru continued, eyeing Usagi and her teeny skirt as she stormed out.

* * *

"Stylish. Refined and… elegant!" Usagi exclaimed, smoothing down the pleats of a knee length blue skirt. She gave another twirl and this time tried out a few poses in front of the mirror, trying to convince herself.

"Hideous is what it is" Rei mumbled from behind her in the change rooms. Usagi spun around to face her friend, lips pursed and finger pointed.

"I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT THIS SKIRT-" she began, before once again catching sight of her reflection out of the corner of her eye. There was no denying it.

"- is hideous. Blergh" she finished, grumbling and rushed back into the changing stall to swap the nun skirt for her preferred short one. She shook her head in confusion, wondering what had ever possessed her to try on the horrific nun-like skirt in the first place.


	5. 54 Nightmare

54 Nightmare

RAP RAP RAP ' _oh he thinks he is soo clever...'_

RAP RAP RAP ' _he knew my math's assignment was due in today...'_

RAP RAP RAP ' _oh_ _but I am not going to fail because he thought it would be funny to steal my math's book!'_

A fuming Usagi brought her fist down heavily on the door, ready for another round of assault.

RAP RAP RAP. Seeing only white rage in front of her, she prayed for Mamoru's sake that he would open the door soon, lest she break it down with her bare hands... and she wanted to save her bare hands for the strangling of that baka's neck!

* * *

Mamoru tossed and turned in his bed, dreaming restlessly -

"Oh no, that just won't do!" his dream-self cried to his handsome reflection in the dream mirror, pulling the puny tiara out of his thick black hair.

"This won't impress my princess at all!" Feeling hopelessly frustrated, he threw down the tiara and took up another large glistening crown speckled with giant blue rubies from the pile of crowns sitting before him. Placing it gently on his head, he sighed loudly and brushed a stray hair from his eye.

"Ahhh much better. Damn, I look good!" he cried with a delighted grin.

* * *

RAP RAP RAP

"MAMORU, open the damn door!" Usagi cried out "I know you're in there! I can hear you talking to yourself!"

Preparing her fist for another round of battering, she threw out her final warning,

"I will break this door down if I have to!"

Feeling his heart beat quicken immediately, the handsome prince Mamoru turned his head in the direction of the knocking door.

' _Oh good, she is here! My princess is here!'_ Straightening up his tuxedo, he practically skipped for the door

"I am coming my lady..."

Ceasing her battering, Usagi pressed her curious, but burning ear against the door. She could hear a lot of scuffling going on and strange mutterings

"Coming... princess..."

' _What the...?'_ she thought impatiently, definitely not in the mood for his dumb games.

"BAKAFACE open the door right now. School starts in 15 minutes and if I don't get there WITH MY MATH'S ASSIGNMENT on time I will FAIL!" She screeched, losing the last scrap of patience she never had to begin with. Hearing footsteps approach the door, she stopped her cries, crossed her arms and waited impatiently for the door to open.

"Here I am- " she heard him mumble chirpily as the door began to open

"Why my lov- ARRGHH" a foggy-eyed, pyjama clad Mamoru shouted and staggered away from the door upon seeing her face.

* * *

He had been set-up! It wasn't his princess at the door at all, but a blazing red dragon smoking from the ears! Mamoru backed away from the door, unsure of what to do. He didn't have any of his fighting gear to defeat this fearsome monster. No, all he had was himself and he needed a plan fast!

"SCHNARGLE BLERGH **MATH'S BOOK** ROAR GARBOL **BAKA HEAD**!" the dragon cried, before lunging itself through the door towards him. He scrambled backwards trying to get himself to the dungeons which had suddenly appeared not too far behind him. What was he going to do? He knew he was trembling in fear as he moved away but that was inevitable standing before this giant beast.

Usagi stormed after the blindly stumbling Mamoru as he backed fearfully from her towards his bedroom. She smiled to herself inwardly ' _and so should he be afraid'_ She thought smugly thinking of the tongue lashing she had just served him! He would definitely think twice before playing his stupid, immature tricks on her again!

"...AND IF ANYTHING AT ALL HAS HAPPENED TO MY ASSIGNMENT I'LL..." she continued screaming at Mamoru who had now disappeared into his bedroom, obviously to retrieve all of her hard work.

The hideous, beastly dragon was now breathing fire, roaring and clawing madly at the air in front of itself. Feeling his panic spike, Mamoru ducked his head back behind the dungeon door just before the dragon reared back its head and screamed invisible flames that stung his ears

"GROBBLE BLAAAAH **KILL YOU BAKA** SCHNOOL FICKLE ROAR **EVEN A CREASE ON IT**!"

Assessing his dire situation, he peered around the dimly lit dungeon noting several cells scattered along the back wall– all closed...save one. He could feel his pulse quicken in excitement, a plan forming before him.

"I'm saved!" he squeaked happily, as he ran over to the open door preceding the darkened doorway and pulled off his dashing red and gold cape that he found on his back.

Usagi stormed into Mamoru's bedroom, powered now by confusion and curiosity over anger. Mamoru was acting so strangely. She had heard him scuffling, murmuring and chuckling darkly to himself between her yells, but now it had ceased and all that remained was an eerie silence that sat awkwardly in his empty room. Whilst peering around for the scraggle-haired, bleary-eyed Mamoru she spotted the blue and white checkered pyjama shirt that he had just been wearing laying in the open doorway of his closet.

' _What the...?'_ she wondered for the second time this painful, early morning. Releasing a confused sigh, she picked up the night shirt and walked into the pitch black of the closet.

With a thunderous BANG Mamoru jumped out from behind the cell door and slammed it shut, quickly flicking the lock in place. Backing away from the cell Mamoru roared out a yell of triumph, feeling ridiculously proud of himself.

The dumb, angry dragon was no match for his brawn, or ingenious brain!

He could hear the dragon attempting to beat through the door yelling intelligibly.

"ROAR...MAMORU BAKA...KILL YOU...SCHOOL NOW...FAIL... BLERGH"

' _What funny dragon talk'_ he chuckled to himself, gleefully shaking his head.

Feeling light and happy, a still soundly sleeping Mamoru crawled back into bed and fell into an even deeper, dreamless sleep, while Usagi panted with a renewed sense of anger, previously unfelt to this degree before. She had given up on her screams and banging. They would just wear her out and she needed all her strength for revenge. Smiling savagely, she pulled out her pencil case from the school bag she had been carrying on her back.

' _So baka-face thinks he is clever does he, locking me in his closet'..._ Usagi thought, her eyes glinting psychotically at the scissors she now held in her hand ' _I will show him clever...'_


	6. 41 Jacket

41 Jacket

Usagi was half way through her third sip of chocolate milkshake when the front door of the arcade slammed open, sending the usually welcoming tinkle of bells into a disarray of bothersome clanging.

"WHERE IS IT Odango Atama?" puffed a furious, red faced and heavily sweating Mamoru who stopped mid-sprint to stand in front of a smirking Usagi.

Motoki, who had been standing behind the counter chatting to Usa burst into a fit of laughter upon the sight of his best friend, though Mamoru paid him no mind. He needed to focus all of his energy on the soon-to-be dead rabbit who watched him wide-eyed, trying to keep a smile off her face.

"I'm not playing around you- you- MONSTER. Now GIVE IT BACK or I'll- I'LL SHAVE YOUR HAIR OFF WHILE YOU SLEEP!" he seethed taking a threatening step closer.

No longer even attempting to refrain from laughing, Usagi threw back her head in open hysterics.

"Nice...clothes...BAKA" was all she could manage before her voice broke into a roar of laughter.

"Yesyes," Mamoru grumbled, rolling his eyes in exasperation "thanks to YOU I look like a complete idiot, I know. But that's not why I'm here-" Before he could continue, Motoki had managed to pull himself together enough to speak between his wheezes

"Mamoru-san [HAHAHA] what the hell [RAAAHAHA] happened to your clothes?"

Under normal circumstances, Mamoru would never EVER have left the house EVER wearing the jaggedly shorn mid-riff t-shirt with only one sleeve and a low dipping V-neck, coupled with unevenly hacked-at short-shorts that were once his favourite pair of trousers. Even his socks in sat in awkward tatters around his ankles. In short, he looked ridiculous. Holding out a trembling finger, he threw it in Usagi's direction.

"She happened!" he croaked through gritted teeth "she somehow managed to break into my apartment and lock herself in my closet, though only before hacking up MY ENTIRE wardrobe! My clothes, sock, undies! Everything - everything except for -"

"WAIT a minute!" Usagi interrupted pushing herself out of the counter stool, squaring her shoulders at Mamoru,

"You locked me in that stinky closet for **FIVE** hours after I came over to get my maths assignment THAT YOU STOLE THE NIGHT BEFORE IT WAS DUE! Whatever your clothes got, they have you to thank for it! Oh and in case you're interested I failed my assignment. So thank you! "

"HA! as if you needed my help to fail-" Mamoru retorted spitefully before Motoki cut in

"Usagi, you did this?" he huffed, wiping at his teared up, crinkled eyes.

"Yes she did. But that's not even half of it." Mamoru called after him before turning his slitted eyes upon Usagi "Funny thing to note Odango, whilst searching through the endless deluge of ruined clothing, I noticed that something was missing... Something that you- you demon child knew was my most prized possession in all the world!"  
When Usagi didn't answer, Mamoru yelled "MY JACKET! Damn it, where is my jacket?"

Playing dumb, Usagi cocked her head to the side, eyes wide open

"You had a... jacket? Whatever are you talking about?" she piped, shrugging her shoulders innocently

"Oh you know it. It was green and tailored and..."

Whilst Mamoru continued on with his detailed description, Usagi fumbled through her backpack and retrieved a dark green jacket which she shrugged onto her shoulders. The sleeves fell several inches past the tip of her middle finger

"...and it had this little stitch just below the right pocket where it got..." Mamoru suddenly froze, realising what Usagi was now wearing. Unable to speak, he stood watching, gaping, feeling a strange heat pinprick behind his eyes.

Seeing his gaze, Usagi's grin miraculously grew even wider,

"Oh you like it?" she asked, falling into a model-like pose, hands buried in the pockets

"I got it for myself as like a ...consolation prize for you failing my assignment." Placing her hands on her hips, she looked over her shoulder at Mamoru in another pose "I don't even remember where I found it, but damn, it looks too good on me to ever give it back..."

Still frozen and gaping, he watched as Usagi shouldered her school bag and skipped out the door, wearing an over sized, tailored green jacket with a small stitch just below the right pocket.

Feeling fit to burst into tears at any moment, Mamoru sat down heavily by the counter. Screams, threats and insults, although brilliantly played, had all worked to no avail. And although Usagi wasn't lying when she had said it looked damn good on her, he just wasn't ready to give up on his jacket that easily – oh no, all that it meant was he simply needed to change tactics...


	7. 1 Chocolate

1 Chocolate

"No, no, NOPE, _no_ and...NO!" Usagi answered a desperate Mamoru, not even bothering to look up from the Sailor V game she was throwing all of her concentration into.

"You should have realised how much your jacket meant to you BEFORE you locked me in your closet AND made me fail my math's assignment. I'm not giving it back ever ever ever!" Hitching up the sleeves on _her_ green jacket for better hand movement she threw herself back into the game.

"POW! POW! DIE EVIL VILLAIN! MUAHHAHA"

Mamoru clenched his fists and ground his teeth in frustration.

"ODANG... I mean sweet, sweet Usagi," He smiled stiffly, forcing his voice to sound as honeyed and kind as possible remembering that mean and angry Mamoru hadn't worked too well previously.

"Usako my most lovely, most precious, funniest, prettiest..."

"Shut up. No. - BANG! GOT YOU SUCKERRR "

"We could do a trade? Maybe? Please..?" Begging.

"Nope. Not for anything"

"But..."

"No"

Now, grasping at straws, Mamoru decided it was time to unveil his hidden weapon. He was hoping it wouldn't come to this. Against this, Usagi truly had no chance. Reaching into the small bag he had brought with him, he pulled out a bunny. Not a white fluffy bunny. No. this bunny wasn't even alive. What he pulled out was much better.

Pure sugared gold. Yes, chocolate. One kilo of pure, solid, chocolate bunny.

The instant Usagi's eyes caught site of what Mamoru was holding, she shrugged the jacket off and thrust it in his direction, who snatched it close to his chest before tossing the rabbit to Usagi. Slipping into his jacket, tears pricked the backs of his eyes. He was home.

Taking in a deep breath, he savoured the almost forgotten smell of the blended cotton and polyester underneath his nose once again.

"Pleasure doing business" he choked, shooting a glance at Usagi, whose mouth was already too full of dribbling chocolate to mumble a reply.

Making his way to the exit he caught a glimpse of himself in a reflective window and stopped to check himself out in his jacket once again.

 _Damn, it looks good on me,_ Mamoru thought smugly _but dammit, it looked better on her._


	8. 30 Business Card

30 Business Card

He was smirking; she was fuming. Just as it always was with the two of them.

Mamoru plucked at the small piece of blue fabric that doubled for Usagi's skirt

"How do your parents let you leave the house wearing this? You look like a hooker!" he teased as they exited the arcade, his blue eyes glinting with mischief.

"Don't come crying to me when someone approaches you on the street asking for a go" he continued, biting back a laugh. She always took his taunts so well. It was one of her many charms. Usagi was trembling in anger, fit to explode

"It's this thing called fashion, which, going by what you're wearing, YOU WOULD KNOW NOTHING AB…" She was stopped short mid-scream as a greasy man sporting a ridiculous purple suit approached. He paused, one hand on his purple cane, looked her up and down, obviously appreciating her short skirt and gave her a wink.

"Take this, mami," he flicked a card in her direction. She caught it clumsily, clearly mortified "Think about it. Its great money, honey" He left with a lick of his lips and sauntered off with low slow strut. Usagi screwed her face up in disgust and gave a shudder, finally able to move again. Pulling herself together, she read the business card she had been handed out loud

"Little Juicy Hookers – great time, great pay…EWW" she dry-retched for several seconds before throwing the card into the gutter as if the card itself was filthy. She looked across at Mamoru whose face had gone white, his mouth a tight, unyielding line across his face. He glared after the pimp who was still making his way down the street. Cracking his knuckles, he finally spoke, his voice a tight croak.

"I'll be right back…"


	9. 49 A Familiar Song

49 A Familiar Song

A/N – Thanks to those who have reviewed so far xx

Tsukino Ikuko's body swayed gently to the music playing softly in the background, while waiting to place her order at the counter of Tokyo's leading breakfast diner. She smiled inwardly as the song changed to the 80's hit 'When a Man Loves a Woman' and wondered whether Kenji would remember its significance. It had been so long since they had last heard it. She jumped slightly as she felt hands touch softly at her waist

"It's our song," Kenji whispered from behind, taking her within the circle of his arms.

"It is," Ikuko agreed smiling "It was playing the first time we kissed"

Kenji chuckled. "We were such an unlikely couple back then; always arguing. And you my dear, were verrry annoying." He squeezed Ikuko gently and kissed her neck, chuckling slightly

"-and you had this intolerable habit of teasing my hair. I hated you for it… remember?" she chuckled back, still managing to feel giddy at his touch, even after 15 years of marriage.

"How could I forget?" Kenji exclaimed "That long ponytail sitting on the top of your head?"

"Yeah," she sighed, remembering the horrible hairstyle, that at one stage, had been deemed cool "What was it that you called me again?"

"Spaghetti head." he replied almost instantly "Teasing you always was quite enjoyable" his smile broadened at the memory of the two of them squabbling. Ikuko, nudged Kenji in the ribs

"Hey, I don't think you realize how much it hurt when you called me spaghetti head. Although I wasn't willing to admit it at the time, I wanted you to like me so much. I knew you were something special right from the very first day I saw you" Ikuko leaned her head back against his shoulder. Kenji tugged playfully at a loose strand of brown hair, whilst reciting his former famous insult

"Hey spaghetti head, fail any tests today?" he asked mockingly

"No actually..." Ikuko managed to reply before two loud individuals arguing in front of the large windows of the diner interrupted her. The first figure was a tall, black haired man in a green sweater. The other figure they identified to be their daughter, Usagi

"Hey meatball head" called the black haired man from behind "Fail any tests today?"

Usagi huffed angrily before speaking

"No actually... the test is next Thursday" she yelled, before storming out of sight. The tall man merely chuckled before following on behind.

Both Kenji and Ikuko stared at the window, mouths open, at the flashback that had played out before them.


	10. 38 Studying

38 Studying

' _Well what was going on here'_ , Ami wondered watching from across the library table as the two supposed foes, Mamoru and Usagi sat closely together, bent over Usagi's notebook.

She had been as shocked as anyone seeing them together, though they quickly explained to her, they were here for the sole purpose of studying for Usagi's upcoming math's exam. Mamoru was obligated to assist her in passing her exam after causing her to fail her previous assignment. They would never, ever under any other circumstance -ever-, be caught spending time together otherwise, they assured her. She raised her eyebrow as Mamoru leaned in closer to Usagi, who was toying with a piece of her braid, chewing at her bottom lip.

"…and now this number here cancels out this number here" Mamoru said his hand now very close to Usagi's on the page.

"Ohhh! I didn't know you could do thaaaat?!" she exclaimed, her glance flicking up to his face and then quickly back down again. They had both been darting sneaky glances when they thought the other wasn't looking.

Ami pulled her attention back onto her own work. They were probably just playing over-friendly while at the library to prevent sliding into their usual volatile arguments. That was the only logical explanation. Ami knew as well as everyone, they hated each other!

Noticing movement from her peripheral vision, Ami peered up again from her work and saw Usagi cheekily toss a small handful of chocolate balls at a Mamoru, who was now leaning back on his chair, sifting through her text book. Upon impact, Mamoru breathed out a chuckle and shook out his hair in search for the chocolates, before launching a few back at a laughing Usagi who squealed and tried to deflect it.

Ami rolled her eyes before clearing her throat to remind the two of her presence

"Clearly hard at work I see" she joked.

Sharing a quick glance and a sheepish grin, Usagi and Mamoru shuffled in once again over Usagi's note book and resumed their study.


	11. 74 Two Halves

74\. Two halves

The weather was unusually warm on this fresh Sunday morning as a smiling Usagi skipped through the park toward the Crown arcade. Peering ahead, she caught sight of a sign in the window which read

' ALL CHOCOLATE SHAKES HALF PRICE!'

With her heart beat increasing dramatically, she sped off into a full-blown sprint toward the Arcade doors before she was distracted by a bright glimmering in the grass. Planning on ignoring it, she continued with her quickened pace, yet as she continued to move, the glint only became brighter.

'Only something ultra shiny and expensive would glimmer that much' she thought cheerfully as she jogged to the spot beside the park bench where the gleaming had originated.

Peering eagerly into the thick grass, Usagi plucked out a small delicate necklace, wondering how on earth it had managed to catch her attention. Laying the silver pendant on the palm of her hand, Usagi scrutinized the strange piece of jewelry. It was a delicate half of a love heart with three diamonds encrusted across the outer edge. In the centre, inscribed in the neatest cursive writing she had ever seen was the word 'True'

Chewing her lip, now deep in thought, she wondered who the other half could possibly belong to. Dreaming wistfully, imagining herself as the main character in some outrageous romantic saga, she thought that whoever it belonged to would someday own her heart as well.

* * *

Two ancient oak doors creaked open, signaling the beginning of Mamoru's double of Human Anatomy. Sighing heavily in apprehension, he peered around large lecture room wondering which one of the hundreds of seats he would sit in today. Normally, he would sit third row from the front, five seats left of the aisle, yet today he felt a sudden urge to sit in the in the back of the classroom and made his way toward the chosen desk.

Removing his bag containing his laptop off his shoulder, he proceeded to sit down on the chair, yet before he could take a seat, he noticed a silver necklace glinting in the centre. Picking it up gingerly, he realised that the pendant was the right handed half of a love heart, with the word 'Love' neatly inscribed into the centre

His normal reaction regarding these situations would be to hand the necklace in at the Student Office Desk as lost property, yet there was something about this one that prevented him from doing so. He considered himself far too much of a cynic to believe in fate and wonder who might hold the other half… but what if..? With a dismissive shrug of the shoulder, he slid the necklace into his pocket, and settled in for the lecture.


	12. 32 Rain at Midnight

32\. Rain at Midnight

The strong winds had been continuously ravaging her curtains all night, but it wasn't until she felt the cold prickle of rain fall across her face, that Usagi finally decided to stand up and shut the window beside her bed once and for all. With her small hands gently resting against the window's sill, she watched the heavy rain and thundering wind tear at the world outside. She stood there calmly watching the darkness outside as her eyes began to adjust. Usagi gasped in fright as she realized that she was staring at a person standing on the pavement in front of her house. Freaking out, she came to the scattered conclusion that it was a shivering Mamoru who was stood, unmoving in the storm as heavy rain fell around his body. Usagi's heart froze and her thoughts reeled madly. What was Mamoru doing outside of her house in the middle of the night? Deciding that she knew Mamoru well enough to know that he wasn't a psycho murderer, she opened the screen window and called out to him above the rain.

"What the hell are you doing out in the rain? Are you crazy?"

Mamoru jumped in shock. He had been in his own dazed world. Usagi let out a deep sigh and called out again.

"Come on. Get inside" she cried beckoning him with a wave of her hand. Rather than waiting for him to enter, she moved to fetch a towel from the bathroom. When she returned, a bedraggled Mamoru stood shaking heavily in the centre of the room. His eyes, which were shimmering with grief, were cast to the floor.

"Are.. are you alright?" she asked uneasily, noting his heavy demeanor. Mamoru didn't answer, merely lifted his eyes off the ground and brought them to rest upon her face. His arms, which were clutched tightly before his stomach, jolted in a spasm of shivering as he convulsed fiercely.

"You must be freezing," She whispered, "you should get out of your wet clothes, you'll never get warm in them" She blushed nervously and cursed at herself for her stupidity. "And besides, you're messing up my floor. I won't look or whatever" She mumbled tossing the towel at Mamoru, who barely caught it in his arms, yet he did nothing with it, just continued staring. It looked as though Usagi would have to do the honors herself. Awkwardly stepping in closer, she took hold of his cold shirt. Mamoru's shivering had stopped as he froze, watching her every move.

"I'm only doing this so you don't die of hyperthermia or whatever in my bedroom" she muttered looking at the ground, and began to pull up his shirt glancing around the room nervously.

"The last thing I need is my parents finding a dead man in my room. I'd be grounded just for the fact that you're a boy!"

It was a struggle getting the shirt over his head, yet he managed to help her shrug it off.

The lightening flashed again illuminating Mamoru's slick, muscled chest. Usagi's breath caught in her throat as she became painfully aware of the half-naked man standing before her.

"Y..you know, it is half past 12, and a respectable girl like me should be in bed by now…" she stammered as she took the towel resting on Mamoru's arm and began to dry his hair whilst standing on the tip of her toes until it was roughly spiked in all directions. When she was done, Mamoru seemed to come out of his daze and began to dry himself.

"So what are you doing here anyway?" Usagi asked curiously, leaning against her wardrobe looking over at Mamoru "I would have thought I'd be the last person you would want to see."

When Mamoru spoke for the first time, it was in a hushed and uneven voice

"I didn't think you would be awake" he croaked as lightening flashed yet again, revealing blue eyes glistening with unshed tears. Upon seeing this, Usagi moved softly to stand before him and touched his arm in a small gesture of comfort. Beneath her hand, his cold arm began to quiver and she could see he was trying desperately to hold back tears. Taking his face between her hands Usagi peered at him intently and despite Mamoru's effort, a tiny tear made itself visible, only to be caught in his lower lashes. Here, his control broke and the tears could no longer remain unshed. Usagi felt tears prickle at her own eyes before she stepped in closer and took the trembling Mamoru within her arms. He seemed so vulnerable, like a small child.

Furious with himself for breaking his control, Mamoru desperately tried to regain his hold over the tears, and attempted at halting the weak shivering all to no avail. From a young age, Mamoru had learnt to repress his tears and ignore his anguish, yet tonight, within the circle of Usagi's arms, he could do neither.

* * *

"Come on." Usagi finally whispered into his ear, as his head lay placidly on her shoulder "You should get some rest" she gently pulled herself out of the embrace and led him to her single bed. As he lay down on the small, pink frilled bed, Usagi came to a seated position beside him, still holding his hand gently within her own. Although there were no traces of the tears Mamoru had shed earlier, Usagi could still feel his hand trembling slightly within her own.

"My parent's died 14 years ago t…tonight." He whispered softly then shrugged "I just didn't want to be alone"

As he spoke, a final, fragile tear fell unbidden, down Usagi's cheek as she lay her trembling hand against his damp hair and stroked his head gently until he forgot his sorrows and fell quietly into the peaceful land of sleep.


End file.
